Winter on the Ranch

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Big News Folks: We are expecting another 9+ inches of snow in Arkansas again this week! Is it just me or does it seem like the weather forecasters have just started hitting “copy and paste” from the Alaska menu? My brother was complaining because there was an inch of snow on the road Monday morning and they still had to go to school. This is when I realized, I may just be getting used to this whole winter thing. I told him to buck up and enjoy the slow ride to school. Everything was nice and brown again by 10. We missed all of the snow here in South Arkansas.

Yesterday, I showed you a glimpse of what I do in preparation of calving season, but now it seems, calving season is gearing up. We’ve had two heifers and an older cow calve so far. One heifer’s calving was uneventful, the other hid on the banks of a slough but everything went well, and the cow just about ate my lunch (more on that later) when I tried to tag and castrate her calf. Other than that everything is grand and I am just waiting on the other 497 cows to do their thing so I can sleep well at night.

The Winter season is not exactly a walk in the park for farmers and ranchers. We do have more going on besides calving, foaling, or kidding (haha, pun intended). Granted calving and checking cows does take up much of my time, I do have other tasks on my plate. advantage of rainy/snowy afternoons to catch up on record-keeping and studying up on a few subjects of interest. The shorter days give me opportunity to tackle the bookshelf and catch up on some reading. For many farmers there is equipment maintenance and repair; along with planning for the upcoming planting season. Many farmers and ranchers always find time to worry about the market outlooks and what this year’s weather will do. Time on the hay tractor gives us plenty of time for that.

Tonight #AgChat will be hosting a light-hearted conversation about the winter chores, homework, and duties of farmers and ranchers. Tune in 7-9 pm central time on Twitter to learn a little more about life on the farm during winter. Who knows you may even learn about something new to squeeze into your schedule.

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Published by Ryan Goodman

Ryan Goodman lives in Colorado, is an avid trail and ultrarunner, and works with farmers and ranchers to help them share their stories of agriculture and how food is raised. Connect with Ryan online as @BeefRunner. #TeamBeef.
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